Copycat Cheesecake Factory Mac and Cheese Recipe - BubbaPie (2024)

FAQs

Can I use heavy whipping cream instead of milk for mac and cheese? ›

To make mac and cheese without milk, the best choice is to find something that has a similar texture and a milk flavor. Things like heavy cream, almond milk, oat milk, yogurt, cream cheese, and even pasta water all work very well in boxed mac and cheese.

Add Cream Cheese

Most boxes will instruct you to boil the pasta, then drain and add butter, milk, and cheese powder to the pot, mixing well to form a sauce. To make your mac extra creamy and rich, stir in a tablespoon or two of cream cheese into your cheese sauce. You'll thank us later.

It's very simple to swap out half-and-half for milk in your mac and cheese recipes; you can use the same amount of half-and-half as you would milk. Since half-and-half still has some regular milk in it, it will act like milk while cooking so you won't have to worry about the ingredient swap impacting your dish.

Any milk is fine. I usually use whole milk, then add some cream, sometimes, just to make it richer. Then you add the cheese of your choice, and melt that, then put the cooked macaroni in. If you are used to using evaporated milk, it's because it makes the sauce a little creamier/richer.

Key #2: Use Evaporated Milk

Evaporated milk is a highly concentrated source of milk protein micelles—bundles of proteins that can act as powerful emulsifying agents—which help to keep the sauce creamy and smooth.

Other examples where you can use half-and-half and heavy cream interchangeably include mashed potatoes, macaroni and cheese, chicken pot pie and bread pudding (keep in mind that heavy cream will yield a richer dish whereas half-and-half will create an end product that's not as rich, which may be desirable in some cases ...

Try adding a little more salt first, because that might fix it. If the problem was the cheese you use doesn't have much flavor, then try adding some other flavors, such has mustard or hot sauce. The next time you make it, try to find some more strongly flavor cheese, or adding more cheese.

Not salting the pasta water

And great pasta begins with water that's been heavily salted. We're talking ocean water levels of salt. Not adding salt to your water leads to bland, tasteless noodles. This, in turn, leads to a finished product that is flavorless even after adding the cheese sauce.

While I was cooking the pasta, I noticed a tip listed on the very bottom of the box: If you want a creamier mac and cheese, try replacing the butter and milk with a few spoonfuls of Greek yogurt.

In fact, you can substitute sour cream for milk almost anytime the recipe calls for less than a cup of milk. One of the most common ingredients to use milk with is potatoes. Spuds love dairy, so if a recipe calls for milk, sour cream almost always works in its place.

Is heavy cream and heavy whipping cream the same thing? ›

Yes, heavy cream and heavy whipping cream are the exact same thing. The confusion lies in the fact that they're sold by different brands under two different names. According to the US Food and Drug Administration's labelling standards, heavy cream must contain at least 36 percent milk fat.

Milk contributes not only moisture but also structure due to its protein content. Replacing milk with heavy cream can introduce too much fat, potentially altering the texture and causing goods to become overly dense.

Water actually works perfectly well as a milk substitute in mac and cheese. It adds all the liquid you need, though it doesn't have the creaminess or flavor that other substitutes add. However, if you add a little pasta water, instead of plain tap water, to your cheese sauce, you might get better results.

You can substitute heavy cream for milk by diluting it with a little water. Use half a cup heavy cream and half a cup water for every cup of whole milk. 1 cup whole milk: combine ½ cup heavy cream and ½ cup water.

(Cooking is about balance, after all.) You'd be correct to enhance a pot of simple mac and cheese with some heavy cream, but don't add too much of it, because the mixture may end up too rich, creamy, and thick, per Pip and Debby and Southern Living.